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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: perch · shower · bound · plane · court · bear · hand · snap

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — tied together
  4. hand — help
  5. court — of a king
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. hand — in cards
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. court — of law
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bear — the animal
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. snap — to click
  17. bear — the animal
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. plane — a tool
  21. shower — to wash
  22. court — for sport
  23. shower — rain
  24. snap — to speak sharply

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com